How trusting an employee can create an Ace

The Boston Red Sox got off to a horrible start this season, and no one sputtered worse than their quirky ostensible closer, Alfredo Aceves. Just two days into the season, fans and sportswriters were calling for new manager Bobby Valentine to remove Aceves from the closer role. Valentine himself was wondering, and met with the pitchers as he considered what to do.

Later, when Valentine returned to his office, a clubhouse attendant handed him a note from Aceves. Only one word was written on it.

Trust.

“Just one word. That was it,’’ Aceves said. “Everything comes back to trust. I wanted him to trust me.’’

Boston Globe beat writer Peter Abraham chronicles how Valentine did trust Aceves and how that trust paid off when the pitcher turned around his season and anchored a now-solid Sox bullpen.

The takeaway for employers and managers is that good things can happen when you trust an employee who really cares about doing a good job.